Summary

In “Preface,” GMB received an email from Martin Grey regarding “a series of notebooks written by his cousin” (1). Grey believed the notebooks would make “an interesting book” (1). He wanted GMB to write the book after discovering their blog post about the “1960s psychotherapist Collins Braithwaite” (1). His cousin’s writings pertained to Braithwaite. GMB had been researching and writing about Braithwaite for some time.

Grey sent the notebooks to GMB. Since the notebooks alleged “criminal malpractice” by Braithwaite, GMB wondered if they were “the victim of a prank” (2). Yet they could “think of no reason” why Grey would want to deceive them (3). GMB continued corresponding with Grey, hoping to verify the notebooks’ provenance. Despite GMB’s attempts, Grey refused to meet with them. GMB decided to trust the notebooks, as they were relevant to their Braithwaite project.

In “The First Notebook,” the...